Motorcycle jacket

ABSTRACT

The motorcycle jacket is an article of apparel for providing protection while riding and a lightweight, attractive street jacket for casual wear when not riding. The motorcycle jacket includes a jacket shell having a rear panel and a split front panel, the shell defining arm openings and being adapted for covering the shoulders and torso. A pair of sleeves extend from the arm openings. The split front panel includes a releasable fastener, such as a zipper, for closing the front panel. At least the sleeves have a lining formed of an abrasion resistant fabric. The elbows have pockets inside the sleeves that removably receive protective foam pads, and a protective foam pad for the spine is removably disposed adjacent the rear panel on the inside of the jacket shell. The spine pad is attached to a flexible panel of abrasion resistant fabric, either directly or by being placed in a pocket or pouch formed on the panel, the panel being secured to the shell by releasable fasteners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to apparel with protective padding, andparticularly to a motorcycle jacket having removable padding to provideprotection while riding the cycle and to provide a fashionableconventional jacket with the padding removed.

2. Description of the Related Art

Potentially dangerous recreational activities, such as riding amotorcycle, often require the use of protective jackets. Motorcycleriders, for example, commonly wear leather jackets or other garmentsformed from durable materials that offer at least a minimal degree ofpadding. For comfort and aesthetic reasons, many motorcycle riders wear“off the rack”, or unaltered, garments, such as the aforementionedcommon leather jacket, which may not provide additional means forprotection.

Although padded garments are well known, such garments are typicallyused in contact sports, such as football, or in hazardous duty, such asbody armor, flak jackets and the like. Such padded and protectivegarments include pads, shields and the like, but are typically designedpurely for functionality. These typical protective garments are not onlyoften aesthetically displeasing, but also inhibit full movement of thewearer. Motorcycle jackets, in particular, may have padding sewn intothe lining so that is not removable, and an outer layer of leather or anabrasion resistant fabric, both of which may provide a degree ofprotection to the cyclist, but are rather bulky and not very attractivefor casual wear. The bulk created by the single purpose design of theconventional motorcycle jacket is a drawback for riders and passengersof cruising and touring motorcycles, since there is little room forstorage of the jacket when traveling long distances. Further, suchpadded motorcycle jackets often include hard armor, which inhibits themovement of the wearer and may be uncomfortable when worn for extendedperiods of time.

Although such padded and protective garments might shield a motorcyclerider from injury in the case of a crash or skid, the garments mightalso inhibit the range of motion of the rider due to their generalinflexibility and bulkiness.

It would be desirable to provide a motorcycle jacket to be worn duringpotentially hazardous activities, such as motorcycle riding, whichprovides the user with protection from abrasion, the elements and thelike, as well as providing the user with flexibility, comfort and anoverall pleasing aesthetic appearance. Preferably, such a motorcyclejacket would be comfortable, flexible and easily convertible between aprotective motorcycle jacket and a conventional jacket, with easilyremovable protective elements.

None of the above inventions, taken either singly or in combination, isseen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a motorcyclejacket solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The motorcycle jacket is an article of apparel for providing protectionwhile riding and a lightweight, attractive street jacket for casual wearwhen not riding. The motorcycle jacket includes a jacket shell having arear panel and a split front panel, the shell defining arm openings andbeing adapted for covering the shoulders and torso. A pair of sleevesextend from the arm openings. The split front panel includes areleasable fastener, such as a zipper, for closing the front panel. Atleast the sleeves have a lining formed of an abrasion resistant fabric.The elbows have pockets inside the sleeves that removably receiveprotective foam pads, and a protective foam pad for the spine isremovably disposed adjacent the rear panel on the inside of the jacketshell. The spine pad is attached to a flexible panel of abrasionresistant fabric, either directly or by being placed in a pocket orpouch formed on the panel, the panel being secured to the shell byreleasable fasteners.

Since the spine pad is attached to an abrasion resistant fabric panelthat is removable from the interior of the jacket shell, the exterior ofthe motorcycle jacket may be made from any desired material, e.g., softsuede, leather, vinyl, natural or synthetic fibers or fabrics, etc.Removing the padding renders the jacket lightweight, more flexible, andless bulky, so that the motorcycle jacket is suitable for casual streetwear. The elbow pads are preferably disposed in pockets within thesleeves that are releasably closed by zippers. The spine or back pad isattached to a panel of abrasion resistant fabric or material, the panelbeing attached to the shoulders by hook and loop fasteners or zippers,and being secured to the torso of the jacket by loops extending from theseams of the garment through grommets in the panel and being closed bysnap fasteners or other releasable fasteners.

Instead of just the sleeves, other portions of the motorcycle jacket maybe lined with an abrasion resistant fabric sewn to the interior of thegarment. Alternatively, the jacket may be lined with a moisture wickingfabric, such as CoolMax® (a registered trademark of E.I. duPont deNemours and Company of Wilmington, Del., now owned by Invista NorthAmerica S.A.R.L. Luxembourg) for greater comfort in warm climates.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a motorcycle jacketaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial environmental side view of the motorcycle jacketaccording to the present invention, showing details thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the motorcyclejacket according to the present invention, showing the interior of themotorcycle jacket.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the motorcycle jacket of FIG. 3, showingthe back pad assembly exploded from the interior of the jacket, thejacket being partially broken away to show a shoulder fastener.

FIG. 5 is a partial view of a sleeve of the motorcycle jacket accordingto the present invention, the sleeve being broken away and partially insection.

FIG. 6 is an exploded rear view of an alternative embodiment of aprotective back member assembly of the motorcycle jacket according tothe present invention, the back pad being exploded from a pocket of theprotective back member assembly, the pocket being broken away.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a motorcycle jacket, designatedgenerally as 10 in the drawings. It should be understood that garments,such as jackets, are often provided in a wide variety of styles andsizes, and include varying fashion-related elements. The jacketillustrated in FIGS. 1-6 is shown for exemplary purposes only, andvarious characteristics of motorcycle jacket 10 may be altered orcustomized for fashion or stylistic reasons without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention described herein.

As will be described in greater detail below, the motorcycle jacket 10includes a protective back member 42, which may be back member assembly42 a, shown in FIG. 4, back member assembly 42 b, shown in FIG. 6, orequivalents thereof, for protecting the user's upper and lower back, theprotective back member 42 being removable from the jacket 10. Further,the motorcycle jacket 10 includes removable elbow pads 54. Thus, byremoving the protective back member 42 a or 42 b and the elbow pads 54,the motorcycle jacket 10 can be worn as a conventional jacket for casualwear on the street, without the added protective padding, if desired.When riding a motorcycle, the wearer may secure the protective backmember or the elbow pads 54 or both within the jacket 10.

The motorcycle jacket 10 provides a degree of protection and support fora wearer when motorcycle riding. The motorcycle jacket 10 includes ajacket shell having a rear panel 34 and a split front panel forming leftand right front portions 14, 16. The front portions 14, 16 are furtherprovided with a releasable closure, preferably in the form of a zipper22, for selectively joining the two portions 14, 16 of the front panelto close the front of the jacket. The jacket shell may have a flap 26overlapping the zipper 22, the flap 26 being secured by snap fasteners24, if desired. The flap 26 conceals the zipper 22 to improve theappearance of the jacket 10. The jacket shell is adapted for coveringthe shoulders and the torso of the motorcycle rider.

The jacket shell further defines a pair of arm openings, and a pair ofsleeves 12 extend from the arm openings. Generally, sleeves 12 are longenough to cover the wrists when extending the arms to reach thehandlebars. A pair of elbow pads 54 (shown in FIGS. 4-6) are disposed inthe sleeves 12. Each elbow pad 54 is removable from its respectivesleeve 12. In a preferred embodiment, a pocket 55 (shown in FIG. 5) isprovided within each sleeve at the elbow for receiving a respective oneof elbow pads 54, the pocket 55 being selectively closable by areleasable fastener, such as a zipper, which is accessible by insertingthe hand within the sleeve 12.

Further, as best shown in FIG. 5, each sleeve 12 preferably includes aninterior lining 57 formed from an abrasion-resistant material. Pocket55, as shown, may be formed as part of the abrasion-resistant lining 57.As will be described in greater detail below, the protective back memberassembly 42 further includes a flexible fabric sheet 51, also formedfrom an abrasion-resistant material. The abrasion-resistant material ofthe protective back member 42 and of the sleeve lining 57 may beCordura® nylon, manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, aCordura®like material, 600 denier nylon or nylon of similar strength, aCE approved armor material (CE is a European standard of motorcycle andother protective armor), or any other suitable material.

In a first embodiment, the motorcycle jacket 10 includes a protectiveback member assembly 42 a (best shown in FIG. 4), which is releasablysecured adjacent an inner surface of the rear panel 34 and providesprotection and support for the back of the wearer. The back memberassembly 42 a includes a flexible abrasion-resistant fabric panel orsheet 51 with a protective foam pad 46 secured thereto. The protectivepad 46 includes an upper portion 58, adapted for protecting the upperback of the wearer, and a lower portion 56, adapted for protecting thelower back and lumbar region of the wearer. Preferably, the width of theupper portion 58 is greater than the width of the lower portion 56,allowing the user to rotate his or her lower back freely.

The back member assembly 42 a is secured within the jacket by aplurality of releasable fasteners, as shown in FIG. 4. Mating hook andloop fasteners 48 and 53 releasably attach the upper end of panel 51 tothe shoulders of the jacket shell. Instead of hook and loop fasteners,fasteners 48 and 53 may comprise zippers or similar releasablefasteners. Preferably, at least one pair of openings protected bygrommets 50 are formed through panel 51 along the lower side edgesthereof (shown in FIG. 4 as being two pairs of openings 50). Fabricstrips 52, which may be formed from nylon webbing or the like, have afirst end secured to the interior seams of the jacket, and second endsthat are looped through the grommets 50 and releasably secured by matingsnap fasteners or the like to form closed loops through the grommets 50.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4, a storage pocket 44 may be formed on theinterior surface of rear panel 34. The interior surface of rear panel 34may include a liner, and the pocket 44 may be formed in the liner.Pocket 44 may be releasably closed by any suitable releasable fastener,such as a hook and loop fastener. Pocket 44 is preferably configured forholding folded maps or the like.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 6, the protective back memberassembly 42 b includes a pocket or pouch 47 formed of abrasion resistantmaterial for removably receiving the back or spine pad 46. Removabilityof the spine pad 46 permits washing the panel 51 of abrasion resistantmaterial. A first releasable fastener 79 is mounted within the pocket47. The first releasable fastener 79 releasably engages a secondreleasable fastener 77 secured to the back pad 46. First and secondreleasable fasteners 79, 77 may be hook and loop fasteners, as shown, ormay be any other suitable releasable fasteners. As shown, the pocket 47is configured to securely and snugly receive the back pad 46.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a collar 18 is secured to the upper endof rear panel 34 and to the respective upper edges of front portions 14,16. The collar 18 may be secured about the neck of the wearer throughthe use of a suitable releasable fastener, such as exemplary snapfasteners 20, shown in FIG. 1.

Similarly, a waistband 30 may be secured to the lower end of rear panel34 and to the respective lower edges of front portions 14, 16. When thejacket is equipped with a waistband, the waistband 30 fits snugly aboutthe waist of the wearer when the jacket 10 is closed, and may be formedfrom elastic for adjustment to the waist size of the wearer. Thewaistband 30 may further include a releasable fastener, such as thatdescribed above with regard to collar 18.

Each free end of each sleeve 12 has a cuff 28 secured thereto, and eachcuff 28 preferably fits snugly about the wrist of the wearer. Cuffs 28may each have an elastic gather or a suitable adjustable fastener, suchas a hook and loop fastener.

Optionally, additional features may be added to motorcycle jacket 10,such as pockets. In FIG. 3, interior pockets 36, 38 and 40 are shownbeing formed within the interior of motorcycle jacket 10. It should beunderstood that pockets 36, 38 and 40 are shown for exemplary purposesonly, and that the motorcycle jacket 10 may include any desired numberof pockets, in any desired size or configuration. Similarly, outerpockets, such as pocket 31, shown in FIG. 2, may be provided. Pocket 31includes a zipper 32 for releasable closure thereof. It should beunderstood that any of pockets 31, 36, 38, 40 may include any suitablereleasable fastener for the releasable closure thereof.

The exterior surface, or shell, of motorcycle jacket 10 may be formedfrom any desired fabric or other material, e.g., soft suede, leather,vinyl, natural or synthetic fibers or fabrics, etc. Elbow pads 54 andprotective pad 46 may be formed from any suitable protective material,which further provides flexibility and comfort for the wearer, such asCE approved armor, or ethylene vinyl acetate, which is typically softerand more resilient than polyethylene foam, a material commonly used inpadded garments. Further, spine pad 46 may be encased in a fabric cover,preferably the same flexible, abrasion resistant material that is usedto form panel 51.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A motorcycle jacket, comprising: a jacket shell having a rear paneland a split front panel defining left and right front portions, thejacket shell defining a pair of arm openings and being adapted to covera wearer's shoulders and torso; a releasable closure attached to theleft and right portions for selectively joining the left and right frontportions to close the jacket; a pair of sleeves extending from the armopenings, the sleeves being lined with an abrasion resistant material; aprotective back member assembly removably secured to the jacket shelladjacent the rear panel, the assembly having a flexible fabric sheetformed from an abrasion-resistant material and a protective pad attachedto the flexible fabric sheet, the assembly providing protection for thewearer's back when riding a motorcycle and being removable for casualstreet wear of the jacket.
 2. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim1, wherein the protective pad is releasably attached to the flexiblefabric sheet.
 3. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim 1, whereinthe protective pad has an upper portion adapted for providing protectionand support for the wearer's upper back, and a lower portion adapted forproviding protection and support for the wearer's lower back, the upperportion being wider than the lower portion.
 4. The motorcycle jacket asrecited in claim 1, wherein said flexible sheet has a plurality of holesformed therein laterally and grommets reinforcing the holes, themotorcycle jacket further comprising: mating first releasable fastenersattached to an upper portion of said flexible sheet and shoulderportions of said jacket shell; and a plurality of straps extendinglaterally from inside seams of said jacket shell, the straps havingsecond releasable fasteners disposed thereon, the straps beingselectively looped through the grommets and secured by the secondreleasable fasteners to form closed loops removably attaching saidflexible sheet to said jacket shell laterally.
 5. The motorcycle jacketas recited in claim 4, wherein said first releasable fasteners comprisemating strips of hook and loop fastening material.
 6. The motorcyclejacket as recited in claim 4, wherein said first releasable fastenerscomprise zippers.
 7. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim 4,wherein said second fasteners comprise snap fasteners.
 8. The motorcyclejacket as recited in claim 2, wherein said pad comprises a foam pad madefrom ethylene vinyl acetate.
 9. The motorcycle jacket as recited inclaim 2, wherein said abrasion resistant material comprises 600-deniernylon.
 10. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising: a pocket formed within each of said sleeves; and an elbowpad disposed within each of the pockets, the elbow pad being made from asynthetic foam material.
 11. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim10, wherein each of said pockets further comprises a releasable closure,whereby said elbow pads are removable.
 12. The motorcycle jacket asrecited in claim 10, wherein said releasable closure comprises a zipper.13. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim 1, wherein said flexiblefabric sheet has a pocket formed, said protective pad being removablydisposed in the pocket.
 14. The motorcycle jacket as recited in claim13, further comprising a first releasable fastener attached to saidprotective pad and a mating second releasable fastener attached to saidsheet within said pocket for releasably securing said protective padwithin said pocket.
 15. A motorcycle jacket, comprising: a jacket shellhaving a rear panel and a split front panel defining left and rightfront portions, the jacket shell defining a pair of arm openings andbeing adapted to cover a wearer's shoulders and torso; a releasableclosure attached to the left and right portions for selectively joiningthe left and right front portions to close the jacket; a pair of sleevesextending from the arm openings, the sleeves being lined with anabrasion resistant material; a pair of elbow pads; means for removablysecuring the elbow pads within the sleeves; a protective back member;and means for removably securing the back member within the jacket shelladjacent the rear panel, the back member assembly providing protectionfor the wearer's back when riding a motorcycle and being removable forcasual street wear of the jacket.
 16. The motorcycle jacket according toclaim 15, wherein said means for removably securing said elbow padscomprises a pocket formed within each of said sleeves, the pocket havinga releasable closure.
 17. The motorcycle jacket according to claim 15,wherein: said protective back member comprises: a flexible sheet ofabrasion resistant material having a plurality of holes defined thereinlaterally and grommets reinforcing the holes; and a foam back padattached to the flexible sheet; and said means for removably securingthe back member comprises: mating first releasable fasteners attached toan upper portion of the flexible sheet and shoulder portions of saidjacket shell for selectively securing the flexible sheet to said jacketshell at the shoulders; and flexible straps extending from lateralinside seams of said jacket shell, the flexible strap having secondreleasable fasteners, the straps being selectively inserted through thegrommets and secured by the second releasable fasteners to form closedloops securing the flexible sheet to said jacket shell laterally. 18.The motorcycle jacket according to claim 17, wherein said flexible sheetof abrasion resistant material further comprises a pocket formedthereon, said foam back pad being removably disposed in said pocket. 19.The motorcycle jacket according to claim 18, further comprising a firstreleasable fastener attached to said foam back pad and a second matingreleasable fastener disposed within said pocket for securing said foamback pad within the pocket.
 20. The motorcycle jacket according to claim15, wherein said jacket shell further comprises a liner formed from amoisture wicking material.